Kestrel Ridge Golf Course Piss's Me Off

Just before I'm to go and get interviewed by Capitol Newspapers on a Two Men and A Beer Landscaping article (more on that later) I come home and have a piece of paper stuck in my door "Thanking me" for understanding why the Kestrel Ridge Golf Course will now allow it's member's to grip it and rip it again on the 16th fairway so errant golf balls will once again ping off our houses.

The reason was that the 5 yard wide wild area 40 yards from the center of the fairway was catching way to many balls and because the balls were no longer going into peoples yards where they could be picked up by people walking into our yards, they were becoming lost.

So because the members complained that because the hole no longer was driving range wide, the management decided to cut down the beautiful wild area that ALL the home owners loved.

In 2009 I collected 27 golf balls from my yard. In 2010 after they let that 5 yards go wild - I collected 7. I'm sure the little white line they will draw on the grass will really help. I'm not complaining about balls in the yard - we knew when we purchased the land it was goign to happen.  But after fixing the problem - they revoke it?

Furthermore - during heavy rains that area becomes a swift downhill river and floods near the tee box but this spring when we had that amazing downpour that area soaked up tons (literally) of water. Talk about a step environmentally backwards.

I had talked to Lori Marcks the General Manager of Kestrel Ridge Golf and complimented her on the brilliant solution to an ongoing problem and that all the home owners were very happy.  Well . . .screw us I guess. It's more important for the members to hang on to their balls.   
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So after I read the "Thank you for understanding" (I wrote back saying I do NOT understand and do not except their Thank You) letter I'm off to be interviewed for the Columbus Journal who must be scrambling for something to put in the paper OR they need a brilliant public interest piece.  It would be nice if Elwood and I were catalyst for others to start beautifying Columbus on their own. Got an empty space? Plant something, become a Gorilla Gardner, there is plenty of urban blight to go around, public ground just wasting away looking for some tender loving care. Maybe I can take some photos of spots that someone could plant some flowers.

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After my interview and mug shot I was walking to the car and saw that Napoli Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria had their sign up and I took a few photos before the Manager came out (with a smile . . unlike what the manager of Club LeMark said "What the f*ck do you think you are doing") and was curious. I said I wrote a blog and yada yada yada and she said "YOUR the guy with photos at Julies Java House" and I said "yes I am" and she said "I LOVE your work" and I instantly liked her and would spend money in her restaurant.


ANYWAY - they are opening NEXT Tuesday and will feature many kinds of pasta, pizza, a bar with very good wine and many Martini's and while they will have SOME craft beer on tap (Fat Tire, Spotted Cow) nothing GREAT yet.  I did stress to her that the one thing Columbus does not have is a place to drink good craft beer.  But then again . . it's an Italian place and wine goes with Italian food.

She was very enthusiastic and was from Fall River and I BELIEVE Napoli is sort of a upscale chain. She mentioned that there is another one opening in Beaver Dam and googling I see a number of Napoli Italian Restruant - (OH - you are all saying I spelled Restaurant wrong but the first Napoli I see on google THEY spelled it wrong on their front page LOL). I'm thinking it's an upscale Olive Garden type place.

ANYWAY - this could be the shot in the arm downtown needs.

Todd has be blogging about the need to get Columbus more presentable and while public urination seems to run rampant because of all the dive bars (which seem to run the town) my feeling is that all we need is for ONE place to be hip and trendy and bring people into the area and the place will start to clean up on it's own.  It's tough to whip it out and pee on the cop station while people are around walking you right? (not that I have ever actually tried).


If you drive around you see groups of houses with great landscaping and then groups with nothing. All it takes is one place to beautify and it catches on to others.

SPEAKING OF PUBLIC URINATION- maybe if Kestrel Ridge did not HIDE their outhouses people would not whip it out in front of our neighbors house on the golf course!! 
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I had to use a flash this morning to get this but I thought I would post a photo of the Sweet Autumn Clematis. The word SWEET is misleading.  All the words we read said that it has a WONDERFUL aroma. Well - this got me worried about the bee problem (still a problem in the basement).  So I put my face up the the bouquet of million tiny flowers and took a big whiff.

Nothing.    

  
Have a great day today
Rod